7/16/2007 @ 12:01AM

Women's Beauty Products Men Love

Brandon Nicholson, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, tries hard to keep his dark secret from his girlfriend.

“It’s getting to be a problem, and I’m afraid she is catching on,” he says. “Every time I take a shower, I have to use her body wash that smells like chocolate. It’s like I’m addicted or something.”

A 6-foot-9-inch, bald-headed wall of muscle isn’t the first person you would picture lathering up with a soap that smells like hot cocoa, or hiding the fact that he enjoys it from his girlfriend, who happens to work at Bath and Body Works. But Nicholson isn’t alone. Seven out of 10 men use some product meant for the opposite sex as part of their grooming ritual, according to men’s Web site groominglounge.com.

“That’s one of the most frequently discussed topics on the question and answer forums on the site,” says Pirooz Sarshar, co-founder of the company. “Contrary to what most people think, men use women’s beauty products, and they like it.”

Winning Wrappings

Some men may argue it has nothing to do with the product itself but rather its immediate accessibility. Others, like Andy Cohen, strategic marketing adviser to companies like
Procter & Gamble
and L’Oréal, says it has to do with presentation.

“Guys aren’t any different from women, in the sense that they are attracted to interesting packaging,” says Cohen. “If something looks useful or it promises results, they will feel inclined to experiment with it.”

That’s the case with NARS Balancing Moisture Lotion. The light moisturizer comes in a white rectangular box with thin dark lettering on the side and looks cool in a minimalist kind of way. Likewise, Burt’s Bees lip balm, a staple in some women’s handbags and medicine cabinets, comes in a guy-appealing yellow tube with the image on it of a man in a bee hat.

The packaging makes it OK for guys to use in public and for them to purchase it on their own. A manager of the
Whole Foods
cosmetics department in Union Square in New York City says that the Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is one of the top sellers and that the majority of those purchasing it are men.

Smell Test

After packaging, scent is the biggest draw for men who use women’s beauty products, says Simone Dilinger, senior editor of Palacinka.com, a site dedicated to reviewing beauty products.

Then there is Secret deodorant. The product, marketed to women, is widely bought and used by men, says Sarchar. It boasts a slightly floral scent similar to many soaps. Seventy percent of men in the U.S. use antiperspirant/deodorant, according to Procter & Gamble, which makes Secret. Of that number, it says that 5%, or more than five million, use deodorant for women.

Add Biore pore strips and Frederic Fekkai hair gel to the list as well. Fekkai says he sells much of his signature styling gel, aimed at women, to men. From his Fifth Avenue salon alone, he sells to men about 100 tubes a month.

Speak Out

With so many men using women’s beauty products on the down low, why don’t more men fess up?

“I would be permanently discrediting myself as a dude in front of my girlfriend as well as my friends, says Nicholson. There is no way I would do that. But I guess if I took baby steps and just let her know I actually like the stuff in small hints, that would be OK.”